BaroqueAgain1 wrote:IIRC, the US can send only one pair to this Winter Olympics for the Pairs Competition, unlike the three skaters we'll be allotted for the Men's Competition.

That is correct. The US will send 3 skaters for men's, women's, and ice dancing. The number of skaters that can be sent to the Olympics depends on the country's international placing in each event. The US has simply not been competitive in pairs for a long time now. It was the same with ice dancing until Belbin/Agosto came on the scene and started winning everything - then there were other top couples to preserve the 3 spots. Women's lost a spot, I think, pretty recently. Ashley Wagner was part of the team that helped the US win back the third spot.

As for Hanyu, it looks like he'll be competing in the Olympics as long as his ankle has healed properly. He hasn't competed this year, but he's the reigning Olympic and World champ. Japan's Olympic committee isn't going to overlook that. And apparently there's precedent - in Turino, the US sent Michelle Kwan even though she hadn't competed all season. She ended up withdrawing, and the US flew in the first alternate, Emily Hughes. So if Hanyu isn't ready, Japan will send their first alternate.

I haven't read anything on Medvedeva since learning she was missing Grand Prix finals due to injury. She's missing Russian Nationals, though, and there are a lot of other Russian ladies chomping at the bit to go. However, if she's healthy, I imagine Russia will send her to compete as a neutral (since Russia is technically banned).

BaroqueAgain1 wrote:Is there such a thing as an Also Eligible for the team? Maybe Ross could be an alternate in case one of the top three can't compete?

Yup, they have alternates. Ashley Wagner, for example, is the US women's first alternate. Ross Miner is the US men's second alternate, behind Jason Brown (which I think is dumb because Miner landed a quad and Brown didn't even attempt one, IIRC).

I no longer enjoy figure skating as much as I used to. It's become more gymnastics on ice - how many twists and turns can be accomplished in a jump off and before landing back on the ice. A lot of artistry has gone out of it - in my opinion.

Ballerina wrote:I no longer enjoy figure skating as much as I used to. It's become more gymnastics on ice - how many twists and turns can be accomplished in a jump off and before landing back on the ice. A lot of artistry has gone out of it - in my opinion.

I still enjoy it, but I agree. The sport has changed, and it's because of the change in scoring. It's quite a shame for the men - nobody cares how artistic you are now if you can't do quads.

Ballerina wrote:I no longer enjoy figure skating as much as I used to. It's become more gymnastics on ice - how many twists and turns can be accomplished in a jump off and before landing back on the ice. A lot of artistry has gone out of it - in my opinion.

I think the whole Olympics are going to be undergoing some serious scrutiny this year, curious to see if viewership will be high or not due to the national political divide.

In prior years, it's been a flag waving moment of pride for the USA. Now we've got athletes like Lindsey Vonn declaring that she can represent the country but she's not representing the President. Will folks be wearing their red white and blue shirts 'n sweats come February?

Lindsey.....I don't remember asking for your opinion, and doubt anybody else did either, just ski down the damn hill.

Anyways, I always kind of loathed the artistry angle going back to when I was a figure skater so I'm pretty biased, but I think there's still a lot of room for it. Hanyu and Medvedeva are both absolute masters of merging artistry with technical ability, which I think accounts greatly for their recent dominance over the pure power skaters. Though I have to admit I felt a lot less generous towards the scoring system back when Patrick Chan, a literal wooden board on skates, was sweeping all the medals. Those years were to me the nadir of modern figure skating.

It's quite a shame for the men - nobody cares how artistic you are now if you can't do quads.

I don't know. Jason Brown, who is known more for his artistry than his spectacular jumps, just finished third at the recent international competition in Taiwan. Finished in front of jumpers who can't match his grace and musicality on the ice.I think the judges still love that artistry. It's kept Jason on our Olympic team.